Porsche recall over "illegal emissions-controlling software"

Germany’s transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has announced that 22,000 Porsche Cayenne vehicles are to be recalled to remove what he described as “illegal emissions-controlling software” which he said had been confirmed by tests carried out by the German authorities.

1 August 2017

The model affected is the Cayenne 3 litre TDI. It is not yet clear whether any affected vehicles are registered in England and Wales.

This follows reports in June that German prosecutors had launched an investigation in to whether staff at Porsche, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, were involved in designing illegal emissions controlling software and whether the Cayenne models had been fitted with such devices.

This announcement also comes in the wake of reports that EU authorities are investigating allegations that BMW, Daimler and the Volkswagen group colluded in relation to development and production, including emissions control equipment to the disadvantage of consumers and suppliers.

“We call on the Volkswagen Group to confirm whether any of the affected Porsche vehicles were sold in England and Wales and take immediate steps to ensure that owners are notified.

“Some of our clients whose vehicles have undergone the emissions fix, report a detrimental impact upon the performance of their vehicle. This will be of particular concern for people who have bought cars following claims of their high performance.”